Ridgedale Commons opened in 2023 as Minnetonka’s first urban park, created by transforming two acres of the Ridgedale Mall parking lot into a community gathering space. The project supports the city’s long term vision for a more walkable mixed use district with higher density housing and new public amenities. The park features an outdoor stage, a seating and event lawn, an interactive water feature, space for a future skating rink, and a year round restroom and meeting facility. Designed with sustainability as a priority, the project greatly increased pervious surface area, added more than one hundred trees and dozens of plant species, and incorporated an underground stormwater system that improves water quality and reduces the urban heat island effect.
Construction began in 2022 and was completed the following summer. The location presented unique challenges due to high traffic and limited staging space, but H+U Construction worked closely with the city of Minnetonka and Ridgedale Mall to maintain smooth mall operations throughout the process. The completed park has quickly become a community destination that now hosts the Minnetonka Farmers Market along with concerts and seasonal events, and it offers a valuable outdoor amenity for residents in the growing nearby housing developments.
Ridgedale Commons
Address: 12590 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka
Project cost: $8.5 million
Project size: 2-acre multipurpose park; 1,200-square-foot park building
Owner: City of Minnetonka
Contractor: H+U Construction
Architect: U+B architecture & design, inc.; Damon Farber Landscape Architects
Engineer: Nelson-Rudie & Associates, Inc. (mechanical); Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (civil)
Finance & Commerce subscribers can view the full article, written by Richard Dahl, by clicking here.
https://finance-commerce.com/2024/07/top-projects-of-2023-ridgedale-commons/